Asia - Europe Business

Huawei TD Handsets to Hit Shelves in Q4

Huawei Technology plans to issue four or five models of TD-SCDMA-capable mobile phone handsets in the fourth quarter of this year. The company also plans to release its first Ophone, or TD-SCDMA-based smartphone, in April next year.  Huawei had over 100,000 of its Android-based 3G phones on the market in Europe.

Lisa

China Mobile 3G Users Rise to 2.5m

China Mobile currently has 2.5 million TD-SCDMA users and will have no difficulty reaching its 2009 goal of 3 million, reported by a Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) official Zhang Xinsheng.

Reports in late July said that China exceeded 1 million TD-SCDMA users, while China Mobile has announced a 30 million TD-SCDMA user target for 2010.

Lisa

Unicom: 3G Review; Guangzhou iPhone Sales

China Unicom has conducted its first round evaluations of WCDMA coverage and quality in 77 Chinese cities, finding 30 cities reach its "ideal" standard and another 19 had "good" coverage.

The carrier has begun selling Apple's iPhone in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Caijing.com reports. According to the report, five models of iPhone hit shelves in 40 authorized locations in the city, including five Gome stores and three Suning stores.

An unnamed insider said China Unicom's iPhones are manufactured in Shenzhen, Guangdong province and that each unit costs around $110 to produce.

 

Lisa

Unicom Hits 530,000 3G Users, 8 iPhone Packages

China Unicom's 3G services have recruited 530,000 trial users since beginning commercial trials on May 17, with roughly 430,000 for handsets and 100,000 for netcards, reports 163.com.

The formal launch of Unicom's 3G commercial network is scheduled for October 1. After that date, Unicom plans to release eight Apple iPhone packages, priced between RMB 126 and RMB 886 each.

China Unicom plans to release nine 3G businesses on October 1, including SIM card-swipe handset, mobile instant messaging supported by Skype International, video calls, wireless cards, mobile email service, mobile Internet, mobile TV and mobile search.

Lisa

China Telecom Counts 166 3G Mobile Models

China Telecom has released 166 3G handset models, said by Vice General Manager Zhang Jiping. Telecom offers more than 400 2G models, Zhang said.

China Telecom signed contracts with 31 terminal manufacturers to purchase 4 million units of 68 handset models.

Lisa

Unicom Poised to Launch 3G Services

China Unicom announced September 13 it will begin commercial operations of its 3G services on September 26. The lowest priced package will cost RMB 96 per month.

China Unicom's Chongqing subsidiary it would offer monthly packages ranging between RMB 96 to RMB 886 from October 1.

Lisa

China Mobile Trials Reading Service

China Mobile has begun testing its mobile reading service at wap.cmread.com and is offering users free browsing and downloads. According to an unnamed insider, China Mobile plans to charge RMB 2 and RMB 5 per month for the service and share revenues with content providers.

 

Lisa

"Mobile Market": 200K Downloads in 2 Wks

China Mobile's "Mobile Market" application store (www.mmarket.com) has recorded 200,000 application downloads and more than 1 million page views since it was launched two weeks ago. The store's 17,000 registered individual developers and 1,107 registered enterprise developers have offered a total of 4,000 applications in the two-week period.

 

Lisa

China Telecom Signs 3G Handset Purchases

China Telecom and its four 3G handsets distributors signed contracts with 31 terminal manufacturers to purchase four million units of 68 models of handsets on August 24, ccidcom.com reports. The four distributors, Postel Mobile, Telling Telecommunication Holding, Putian Tai'er and Aisidi Industry subsidiary Beijing Kuren will purchase handsets from manufacturers including ZTE, LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Nokia, Huawei, Lenovo and China Wireless Technologies subsidiary Yulong Coolpad. China Telecom's e-Surfing subsidiary Tianyi Telecom Terminal also signed purchase agreements with four manufacturers for four models of handsets, the report said.

China Telecom planned to release the 3.6 million 3G handsets it purchased in a recent round of bidding, involving 70 manufacturers, as early as September.

Lisa

China Telecom H1 3G Sales Up 350%

China Telecom's reported a CDMA handset sales expansion of 345% year-on-year in the first six months of this year, and the company has partnerships with more than 160 handset manufacturers. CDMA sales in the first seven months doubled, while GSM unit sales stood 9.2 million units less than in the year-ago period.

China Telecom also expects the number of 3G users in China to hit 130 million by 2012 and 490 million in 2015. China Telecom plans to enter the partnership with Palm as well as with Research In Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry.

Lisa